


Aquarium

by pauraque



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blood, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-04-04
Updated: 2004-04-04
Packaged: 2017-10-27 22:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/300561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pauraque/pseuds/pauraque
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The natural order of things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aquarium

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hannelore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannelore/gifts).



> An icon ficlet for Hannelore. The prompt was a picture of a goldfish.

Neville crouched to place Trevor down on the dark wet earth by the edge of the lake where it was shallow. He watched him stretch his long-hinged legs to push himself out into the water.

'Don't go too far,' Neville said quietly, putting his hands back and sitting down in the grass. He watched the toad swim in the night-black water, and listened to the cricket-song. He let his hand dangle in the water until the shimmering golden fishes swam up to place their tiny suction-kisses on his fingertips.

Then, a rustle in the grass, a slither of dark movement. Neville froze, certain it was a snake— but no. The naked tail of a fat grey rat, and the green reflection of round eyes. Scabbers slinked up cautiously, sniffing, backing up, then pressing forward again, bristly whiskers on end.

'What're you doing all the way out here?' Neville murmured, and offered his hand, the one that hadn't been in the water. Scabbers seemed to know him then, and jumped up into Neville's lap. Neville started at the unfamiliar feeling of little star-clawed paws pressing into his thigh. The rat crawled up Neville's leg and sniffed around his trouser pocket, probably after the half-eaten chocolate bar Neville had left there. Neville picked him up carefully— his body was soft and squashy; his hard tail whipped against Neville's wrist— and placed him down on the ground again.

Scabbers ruffled his fur indignantly and then smoothed it out again, making Neville smile. The rat crept over to the edge of the water to peer at the golden fishes still nibbling at the surface. Neville rested his face in his palm, and for a while they watched the fish together. Neville thought about those fish in their aquarium world, kept and admired by giants they could never really see.

There was a ripple a few feet out, and Neville looked, thinking it might be Trevor coming back again. When he glanced away, there was a flicker and a wild splash, and Scabbers emerged with the whole front part of him dripping wet, and a twitching golden fish impaled on his incisors.

Neville let out a yelp that echoed in the darkness, and the rat darted away into the brush with his prize.

It was only then that Neville noticed the little smears of blood on his fingers.

A long time would pass before he saw the rat again.


End file.
